While many politicians, including President Donald Trump, say the U.S. desperately needs more manufacturing jobs, this small industrial city has more than enough.
The problem, for many workers here, is one of quality, not quantity.
This story by Timothy Aeppel originally appeared in Reuters.
That’s the case with Brandon Seitz. The rail-thin 32-year-old worked for 12 years on an assembly line at one of the local recreational-vehicle factories that have made Elkhart, Ind., the RV Capital of the World. The job, Seitz said, nearly wrecked his health.
His pay, as for assembly workers at most RV factories, was a combination of a low hourly wage and a large production bonus, referred to as the “piece rate.” The frantic rush to meet output targets – and thus earn bonuses – made it easier for accidents to happen, he aid. During his first year, he tore tendons in his knee when a steel frame hit him.
And then there was the heat. Most RV factories lack air conditioning.
In 2014, surgeons cut into his back and used a laser to break up and remove a large kidney stone that they said was caused by dehydration.
That’s when Seitz vowed never to work on an RV production line again.
A manufacturing revival was well under way in Elkhart by the time Trump began promising one during last year’s presidential campaign. During the Great Recession of 2008 - 2009, the local unemployment rate hit 20 percent, among the highest in the country. It has since recovered to a seasonally unadjusted 1.9 percent, its lowest in nearly two decades and far better than the national rate, an adjusted 4.3 percent.
The RV industry accounts for a big chunk of that improvement. Local officials estimate that half of jobs here are related to manufacturing and that half of those are linked to RVs. Today, Elkhart County and the surrounding region produce 85 percent of U.S.-made RVs. Unit sales last year were the highest since the 1970s.
As for the work, Thor and other producers said their plants are safe, despite the hectic pace.
Ken Julian, Thor’s vice president of administration and human resources, said the industry is constantly improving the ergonomics of assembly line jobs to make tasks easier and safer for employees of any age. To deal with the heat, he said, they also keep water or other drinks on hand, and “if we see a 100-degree heat index, we’ll shut the plant.”
Industry executives say the bonus system is popular with workers, since it allows them to earn more money in less time.